Tuesday May 12, 2026 Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni at the swearing-in ceremony in Kampala. / others Uganda’s long-serving leader Yoweri Museveni was inaugurated for another term on Tuesday in the capital, Kampala, at a ceremony drawing regional heads of state, diplomats and senior officials from around Africa. Museveni won a seventh term after the January 15 presidential election, taking 71 percent of the vote. His main challenger, Robert Kyagulanyi, better known as Bobi Wine, finished with 24 percent. Speaking to…

Human Rights Watch has urged authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo to safeguard free speech and ensure people can voice dissent without intimidation or harassment, following fresh accounts of journalists, activists, and opposition figures being arbitrarily detained. In a statement, the organization said the tightening grip on critics comes amid mounting political friction over a potential constitutional revision. Opponents warn that such a change could allow President Félix Tshisekedi to sidestep the country’s…

Tuesday May 12, 2026 After more than two years in detention in Somalia, six Moroccan nationals have finally made it home, their return marking the end of a long and closely watched ordeal, according to their families and the Joint Committee for the Defense of Islamist Detainees. The men arrived in Morocco last week and were then held in police custody at the headquarters of the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations in Salé for questioning over the circumstances of their detention in Somalia’s Puntland State region.…

Macron Defends Europe’s Influence in Africa Amidst Rising Chinese Presence During a pivotal two-day economic summit in Nairobi, French President Emmanuel Macron advocated for Europe’s ongoing role in Africa, contrasting it with the expanding influence of China across the continent. Speaking to Jeune Afrique and The Africa Report, Macron reflected on his outspoken condemnation of colonialism upon assuming office in 2017. However, he emphasized the importance of not attributing Africa’s contemporary issues entirely to its…

by STEPHEN ASTARIKOMonday May 11, 2026 IDPs from floodwaters from Bula Punda in Garissa are camping at the Police Training Centre./STEPHEN ASTARIKO Families across Garissa County are facing a fresh wave of suffering after torrential rains and swelling waters along River Tana swept through villages, flattening homes, ruining farms and wiping out livelihoods in their path. The Garissa County Steering Group says at least 10,000 households in Garissa Township have already been displaced, while more than 60,000 others countywide…

By Dr. Ali Said FaqiMonday May 11, 2026 When President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud campaigned on the promise of “Somalis at peace with themselves and at peace with the rest of the world,” the line struck a nerve. After years of political turbulence and fragmentation, many Somalis saw in it the outline of a fresh start: reconciliation, rebuilt institutions and a stronger sense of national purpose. Four years on, that optimism has largely given way to frustration. Many Somalis now say the country is more divided than before, its…

Monday May 11, 2026 Emmanuel Macron arrived in Kenya on Sunday, launching a visit that sets the stage for the Africa Forward Summit and for France’s latest attempt to redefine its role on the continent. In Nairobi, the French president will press a message of partnership over influence, even as Paris continues to reckon with the fallout from its military retreat across West Africa and a broader reassessment of its post-colonial ties. The French president’s trip to Kenya began on Sunday, ahead of the Africa Forward Summit,…

Monday May 11, 2026 Jigjiga (AX) — A long-awaited solution to Qabridaharre’s water problems took a major step forward on Sunday, when Ethiopia’s Somali Regional Government broke ground on a 407 million birr water purification plant aimed at easing chronic shortages and improving water quality in the town. Somali Regional State President Mustafa Muhumed Omar and Water Affairs Minister Ahmed Miraad Layli led the foundation-laying ceremony, joined by local and district officials. The plant is slated to supply clean, treated…

MOGADISHU, May 10, 2026 — Somalia’s long-running constitutional reform process has entered a new phase after the federal parliament approved a series of amendments to the Provisional Constitution and the president signed the revised text into law. The changes are aimed at locking in rules for governance and elections, but they also deepen political tensions ahead of the next electoral cycle. What Happened Somalia has been operating under a Provisional Constitution since 2012. Reform has been debated for more than a…

Sunday May 10, 2026 Jigjiga (AX) — The Somali Regional State in Ethiopia has kicked off campaigning for its seventh regional and national elections, with the ruling Barwaqo Party drawing large crowds to rallies across several towns and districts on Saturday. Across the region, thousands of supporters filled public squares, brandishing flags and banners as party candidates began courting voters for both local and federal parliamentary seats. In Dhahaxbuur, Somali Regional State President Mustafa Muhumed Omar spoke at a major…